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Rehabilitation and Employment

Once you have
completed your initial cancer treatment, or at any point in the course
of your illness, you may need rehabilitation services. Because modem
therapies are aggressive in order to control cancer, you may
experience a temporary or, less often, permanent physical or emotional
disability that may interfere with your ability to function as you
once did. Naturally, this is upsetting because most people are eager
for life to go on as it did before. They resent it when illness
interferes with their normal functions.

To cope with the changes generated by cancer, you may have to adjust
to a new self-image, perhaps one that includes a disability of some
kind. This is not easy. It takes time and is often accompanied by
feelings of sadness as you begin to live with a different image of
yourself. This is harder for some people than for others. People with
disabilities that are obvious to others -- such as having a
laryngectomy or losing an arm or leg -- sometimes find it more
difficult because they worry about others' reactions. It is important
to remember that what made you unique as a person before cancer is
still inside you. No illness can change who you are as a person.

Your ability to do your job may also be affected. This is usually
temporary and continues throughout periods of active treatment. If you
are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy, you may need to
consider a reduced workday or a short-term leave of absence, depending
on the type and degree of side effects you are experiencing. If the
side effects are severe enough and your company has a short-term
disability program, that may be an option until your treatments are
completed. There are many kinds of options available and it will be
important to talk with your employer, personnel department, or union
representatives to see what arrangements can be made. Most companies
are cooperative and most patients return to active employment
following treatment.

If your ability to do your job is permanently affected by your illness
or treatment, you may be eligible for job retraining and counseling.
It will be important to check out these options because work is a
major part of our self-image. The return to a normal life following
cancer treatment is essential to help you feel good about yourself.
Rehabilitation services play a big part in helping you get your life
back on track.